Because of financials, the Padres' Top Men find themselves busy fielding a competitive team on a low (if not lowest) payroll heading into 2011.  $25 million is a lot of money and there are a lot of different ways to spend it.  I, for one, would use it to buy 100 million quarters so I can test my accuracy.  We know Adrian is gone.  That isn't changing.  Depending on who you talk to, we got a good return.  Only time will truly tell.  What we don't know is how $25 million added to our payroll would have reflected in our starting lineup. 

I'd like to take a look at what $25 million could have snagged us in free agency up to this point.  I don't know the small print to all the contracts signed so let's not get too caught up in the details?

Adam Dunn:  4 years, $56 Million

This guy is making what the Padres were allegedly willing to offer Gonzalez.  Assuming Gonzalez is still traded for the same return, this fills our 1st baseman that would make the Western Metal Supply look like it brought a knife to a fight with a wrecking ball.  Adam Dunn's assistants, Kyle Blanks and Anthony Rizzo, would be ready to fill the roll if we chose offload Dunn as a deadline deal.  His $14 million a year would look very attractive to a team in need.

this scenario leaves us with $11 million to spend.  I've got an idea how to spend it.  You ever hear of a guy named...

Victor Martinez: 5 years, $50 Million

With so much talk being about Nick Hundley taking over the starting job, maybe money would be better spent making him an elite backup?  Martinez would have be a rock at a position of need (and without much depth) and we could keep him fresh with a more than capable backup.  Either one could eventually become trade bait.

Maybe we could drop Dunn and instead go after...

Carlos Pena: 1 year, $10 Million

The guy doesn't hit for average but is a better stop gap, in my opinion, than Derrek Lee.  He hits with power and drives in runs.  For one year.  Pena could have been just the run producer we needed.  Pena and Martinez would make $20 million combined, leaving us with $5 million to go after...

Chris Young?  Haha, no.

Jon Garland: 1 year $5 Million

I just don't think he wanted to stay which is why we could have also gone after...

Vicente Padilla: 1 year, $2 Million

Rich Harden: 1 year, $1.5 Million

A winning team with big names would help signability as well.  Consider a Brandon Webb coming here for a bounce-back season.  Kevin Millwood and Jeff Francis are still unsigned and would probably be affordable on our delicious, 60+ payroll.  We could even go after a player/coach that you may have heard about before.  Ol' Dave Eckstein could come play the intangible bench roll.  It would help mend my heart after it broke from losing Matt Stairs, the most influental Padre since Rob Deer.

We could even spend it on Heath Bell!!!

Holy Moly.  Just imagine the possibilities!